If I hear Amal Clooney’s name, I immediately conjure up an image of floaty layers drifting across the Italian Riviera, or her sitting back in style as she’s whisked across the ocean on a yacht. In every instance, she’s wearing colour, pattern or print, and you can guarantee she’ll be strapped into a pair of tall sandals or towering wedges. What I’ve come to understand is that I’ll rarely, if ever, catch Amal in a flat shoe. Which is exactly why, when I spotted her winding through the airport terminals this week, I did a double take.

Whilst it might not be the most “Amal” choice, her brown slip-on sandals were, in fact, a particularly practical option for her stint in the sky. Easy to slip on and off when navigating airport security, the flat silhouette is also much better suited to tackling the many flights of stairs and miles of walking that come with a travel day.

Still, given her history of choosing fiddly strappy heels even when jet-setting, these certainly weren’t the first shoes that came to mind when I pictured Amal’s travel wardrobe. Typically, though, she made the less-familiar style feel chic, pairing the sandals with a long-line khaki dress to create an earthy colour palette that gave her outfit a polished, cohesive feel. Finished with a shoulder bag and oversized sunglasses, Amal had created a travel-day outfit I’d gladly replicate.